The Blood Flowing in Our Vain
by miku
Summary: Itachi vs Sasuke. Who will actually win? Hint of KakaSasu. Please Read and Review. Thank you very much.


**THE BLOOD FLOWING IN OUR VEIN, THE ETERNAL CURSE OF OUR FATE**

_By miku_

**STANDARD DISCLAIMERS APPLY**

A/N: I can't sleep and have to write it. I've just read Chapter 267 of Naruto manga and was suddenly inspired to... well... write a fanfic. BTW!!SPOILER ALERT!! (If you haven't read Naruto's chapter 257, or some other personal reasons, I'm warning you already. Okay?)

…after a few months…

A/N: I found this fic under some random folder in my HD and, well, felt sorry for not being able to publish it. Oo I think it's okay; after all, I can't write anymore. Please Read and Review. Thank you very much. There's too much dialogue, though. I'm sorry. And this has been BETA-ed by a months-older me (might not be the best but…)

RATING: PG-13

WARNING: Attempt for angst

OTHERS: No obvious pairing. But there may be hints of KakaSasu and ItaSasu. Maybe?

PS: I disposed of the old woman o.O And, I know. Itachi talked a lot in this fic oO

…………………………….

**The Blood Flowing in Our Vein (The Eternal Curse of Our Fate)**

_By miku_

…………………………...

It was futile – to fight against THE Uchiha Itachi. Kakashi never liked doubts and based from his battle experience he learned not to underestimate neither overestimate his foes. However, the outcome of the battle was already becoming obvious as the minutes passed by. Naruto now lied on the ground, weak and still woozy from Itachi's genjutsu. It was already amazing to find Naruto still conscious after suffering from mangekyou sharingan but he was at his limit. Sakura was kneeling beside Naruto, suppressing tears unlike before. She was studying Itachi – probably surprised to see the latter still fit for another fight and was still able to block Kakashi's attacks. Kakashi, on the other hand, was still fighting. However, it was obvious that he had already drained most of his chakra and stamina as well.

"But I cannot just let it this way," Kakashi thought as kunais clashed with kunais.

"No wonder Sasuke never got stronger," Itachi mocked despite breathing heavily between every dodge.

"He is strong and he doesn't need me to be one."

"I see. Is that why he's with Orochimaru?"

It stopped. The fight just stopped. Both were tired and the break offered by Sasuke's memory was greatly welcomed. Both just watched each other, eyes droopy and warm, body soaked in sweat and blood.

"Do you enjoy watching him suffer because of you?"

"It's his dream that's chaining him, not me," Itachi answered stoically, his breathing returning to normal.

"You're the one who created that dream."

"But he's the one choosing his path. I only suggested one for him."

Kakashi returned to his fighting stance, noticing his opponent's increasing chakra. He, in contrast, barely had enough left and soon the battle would come into a conclusion. In any way, though, he had to save his students.

"I'd proceed with them after you," Itachi warned as if he read Kakashi's thoughts. The silver-haired jounin gritted his teeth and recalled his fight against Zabusa. It was not the sharingan - it could never foretell the future neither read minds. "It was all written in your eyes," Itachi continued, face still indifferent.

"If you were just some ordinary opponent, I would've appreciated Sasuke's dream of killing you. But you are his brother. Don't you know how much it will hurt him?"

"He cannot defeat me," Itachi answered before lounging forward and aiming chidori at Kakashi. The latter was shocked. Itachi already knew how to perform chidori in just a little span of time! "Nor can you defeat me, Kakashi-san."

Kakashi waited for –that- blow. That final blow which would lead him to his best friend, to his sensei and perhaps to his family? That final blow which would send Naruto and Sakura soon to their end, too. As much as he wanted to avoid it, there was no more escape. He prepared chidori, the third and the last time he used it that day, with all his remaining chakra, eyes narrowing as Itachi came closer.

Suddenly, the atmosphere went back to normal. And before Kakashi even realized what happened, Itachi had already been thrown back violently, destroying few trees that blocked his path.

"Sasuke?" Kakashi heard Sakura hesitatingly said and his vision cleared. Indeed, it was Sasuke. Despite the shorter hair and the taller build, it was indeed Sasuke. "Sasuke-kun!" Sakura called once more, this time- shouting.

"I'm the one who's gonna kill him," Sasuke said before walking towards Itachi who was lying on the ground. "I'm not trying to help you," he continued, talking to Kakashi, "but you can go now."

"Sasuke, don't."

"It's lame to fight a beaten man but I have to kill him nevertheless," Sasuke said without paying any attention to Kakashi's request.

"I don't want you to have any regrets, Sasuke!"

Sasuke turned his face and looked at his former sensei, the sharingan fully developed and bloodier than before. He looked tired although he hadn't fought yet. But Kakashi knew why Sasuke looked that way and felt a pang of pity towards the boy. "I won't have one," Sasuke answered, "Sensei."

Tears threatened to leave his eyes but he already mastered how to sustain them. Swallowing hard, he looked at the boy directly in the eyes. "But we won't leave. I want to see you be done with it."

Sakura watched, tears now freely flowing in her bruised face, whispering Sasuke's name every now and then. Naruto was still half-conscious.

Silence.

Itachi watched the silent scene before his tired eyes. His brother ( "his brother", it resonated on his head) staring at Kakashi, exchanging silent pleas and messages. Kakashi was too weak- physically, mentally and emotionally, to even make a single step forward, perhaps to touch his former student and beg him to come back to them.

After this silence, Itachi knew, would be his end. He could no longer fight like before. The mangekyou sharingan drained half of his chakra and fighting with the three shinobis intensified his fatigue. And seeing Sasuke, fully developed and obviously much stronger, although under normal circumstance he could probably still be the one stronger, he was powerless.

So he waited.

And watched his brother some more.

Sasuke had grown more like him, he thought. And to think he never wanted Sasuke to follow his footstep it still turned out that way. It was his fault. Kakashi was right by saying he was the one who molded Sasuke to be the boy he now was.

But he couldn't help it. He needed to be selfish to his younger brother once in a while.

"Okay then," Sasuke finally uttered, breaking the tormenting silence that engulfed them. "Sensei, please watch me attain my dream." He then turned to Itachi whose gaze at him never falter. "Don't look anywhere else. I'm now worthy of your attention."

Itachi smirked and watched Sasuke walked towards him.

"Are you stronger now, little brother?"

"I'm not your little brother anymore."

"Then," Itachi smiled, "Are you stronger now, Sasuke?"

"I think so. But in your current state, I doubt I'd have the chance to prove it to you."

Itachi nodded and gazed at the face of his once little brother as the latter knelt beside him and took his right hand.

"Have you hated me enough?"

"Yes."

Sasuke pinned Itachi's right hand on the trunk of the destroyed tree behind them.

"How much do you hate me now, Sasuke?"

The younger boy took out a kunai from his kunai holder.

"I gave up Konoha. I gave up my friends. I gave up my sensei. I gave up my pride. I gave up my body. All those things just to kill you now."

"I see…"

Itachi winced as he felt the kunai pierced his palm, but was even more pained to see Sasuke's hand that was pinning his' was bleeding as well. The kunai connected them. The same blood flowed and stained the damp earth.

Sasuke held his other free hand, gently, almost caringly.

"Would you forgive me now if I ask for forgiveness?"

"No."

Sasuke started his double assassination (1)single-handed seal.

"But you can still hear me, I presume."

"I'm only blinded by you. I'm not deaf."

"I'm sorry, little brother."

"You should've killed me back then."

"You begged for your life."

"You should know better. After all, you're a genius."

"But who would take my life?"

"I hate you."

"I am selfish."

"Yes. I am, too."

Two smiles, identical with their sadness, identical with their dreams. And as blood spattered on the cold ground, the past, the present, and the future ended.

He really tried. But Kakashi failed to hold back his tears any longer…

**OWARI**

……………………………….

(1) Sasuke just performed the double assassination technique attempted by Anko to kill Orochimaru. Orochimaru was the one who taught it to Anko so I supposed he should've taught it to Sasuke. Anyway, since it's double assassination, that means the opponent and the performer of the technique would die. So if you still haven't gotten it by now, Sasuke and Itachi died. Okay? Okay. OH, and since DAT needed to have the opponent's and the attacker's hand pinned by kunai (or something), I supposed it used one-handed seal.


End file.
